District 9 Sequel is in the Works, Says Neill Blomkamp

Director Neill Blomkamp is keen to let fans know that the sequel is coming, although not any time in the near future.

Blomkamp has previously said that he wants to return to the world of District 9, though he never gave any inclination as to what type of story he wanted to tell. While promoting his latest short films, Blomkamp revealed in a recent Reddit AMA that he wants to make District 10 so that he can finish Wikus and Christopher’s story.

"OK, so with District 10 the basic answer is yes. I want to go back to that world and tell rest of the story with Wikus and Christopher. The issue right now is that I have many other projects and ideas that I also want to work on and complete..... and most importantly, the exact right REASON to make District 10 needs be very clear. the first film was based so explicitly on real themes and topics from South Africa that effected me greatly growing up there, that we need to make sure the next film does not forget that."

The 2009 sci-fi film, which starred Sharlto Copley, was acclaimed by critics and nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. As of November 4, 2009, District 9 had grossed an estimated US$210,819,611, of which US$115,646,235 was from Canada and the United States. Its production budget was US$30 million.

Some good news for Elysium fans, Blomkamp also explains his desire for a chance to make an Elysium sequel:

“Elysium is more something I feel like I could have done better. I think that if you were to take something like Elysium and play with it inside a setting like this [his Oats Studios short films] you probably would hone it – you would end up, I think, with something well thought through and that has all of the thematic elements that I wanted. I still love the set up to Elysium. The idea of the separation of class warfare presented with this space ring is incredibly appealing to me and I would love to go back and make another movie in the world of Elysium because it’s compelling. I just think I can do a better job in setting up what the themes are more clearly and what the character’s motivations are. I can do it better, I think.”

One of the projects that's been keeping Blomkamp busy this year has been Oats Studios, a series of short films released online for free, to experiment with ideas that could be scaled up to feature films. In a world of sequels, spin-offs, and endless reboots, it's a welcome relief to find a director that cares about furthering his storytelling career, rather than allowing his ideas to stagnate for the sake of taking the easy path.